Combined brassiere and slip construction



Sept. 27, 1949. v. IL 2,482,994

COMBINED BRASSIERE AND SLIP CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 30, 1947 IN V EN 0R.

Patented Sept. 27, 1949 CONSTRUCTION Viola'Wiley, Los Angeles, Calif. I V Application August 30', 1947, Serial N6. #71530 This invention relates to improvements in undergarment construction and is particularly directed to the combination of astrapless brassire, a strapless slip; and a pair of separate shoulder straps, this arrangement permitting proper and accurate adjustment of the br'assire and adequate support fortheslip without the use of multiple straps over the shoulders of the wearer. 7

Various feminine undergarments, such as brassieres, slips, foundation garments, corselets and the like, are generally provided with shoulder straps firmly attached to the upper marginal edges of the garments. These straps are also often provided with buckles by means of which the length of the strap may be varied, foldsin the strap being held by the buckle, thereby shortening the total effective length of the'strap. Since most women wear at least two of these garments, each shoulder is traversed by at least two straps. These straps do not normally occupy an overlapping relation; a brassiere strap is usually tighter, supports more weight and is relatively immovable on the shoulder. The strap of a slip, on the other hand, does not support any appreciable amount of weight, and the garment.

desired is not of a clinging character, and as a result, the straps of a slip generally become easily displaced and require frequent adjustments. This is not only troublesome to the wearer but, under thin, diaphanous upper and outer garments, the

plurality of straps traversing the shoulders is deemed to be unattractive.

Straps; normally attached to slips, are provided with adjusting means, such as buckles or the like, but in adjusting such means while the slip is upon the wearer, the shoulders are moved and accurate adjustment is diflicult. Since slips are light-weight garments and slip straps are not under tension, such slip straps are readily dis V placed.

The present invention is directed to un d'ergarment construction wherein the brassiere is; strapless and the slip is strapless. Both of these garments, however, are selectivelyattachableto a pair of shoulder strap elements provided with connecting means in longitudinally spaced relation, such connecting means being selectively cooperable with attachment means carried by the top edge margins of the brassiere and slip. As a result, both the brassire and the slip are supported by and attached to the pair of separate shoulder straps and accurate positioning of the garments on the body of the wearer may be easily attained. r

It is an objectof the Another object of the invention is to disclose, as an article of commerce, a'feminine undergarment adapted for encircling the torsoand {covering the bust of the wearer, said undergarment being free from straps and being'provided with attachment means adjacent the topedge margins in the front and rear portionsthereof.

A still further objectiof the invention is to dis close and provide a strapless slip arranged for co-operation with a brassire strap provided with to facilitate understanding, reference will be had" to the following drawings inwhich I Fig. 1 is an elevatio'n illustrating a brassiere and slip, made inaccordance with the present invention in position upon the body of the wearer. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a brassieremade inaccordancewith the present invention, dashed lines indicating the general locationof the separate strap elements in the approximate position assumed upon the body of the wearer.

Fig.3 is an enlarged view of one of the strap elements.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the bust pocket of a brassire showing the-combination and mode of attachment between the brass'iere, slip and separate strap, said section being taken approximately along plane IVIV of Fig. 1.

The term brassiere is used herein in a generic sense and relates to, any garment capable of encircling the torso and provided with breast-re'ceiw ing pockets; the invention is, not limitedto any particular size,'style or shape of brassiere. The term strapless bras sire, as used herein, refers to a brassiere which is not provided with a firmly and irremovably connected shoulder strap or The term slip, as used herein, refers to a tubular underskirt or tubular garment provided with a frontportion or portions extending over the bust. Some slips are provided with upwardly pointed sections both in front and in the rear of the garment; other slipshave a substantially 4 present invention, therefore, to disclose and provide improvements in undergarmentconstruction whereby two or more undergarments may be adiustablyheld by a single pair of shoulder straps. s

As previously stated, the general combination embraced by this invention comprises a strapless brassiere, 'a strapless slip and a pair of separate shoulder straps. Each of the shoulder straps is preferably made of a fiexib1e,limp, compliant material, of ribbon-like character, and of a length adapted to traverse the shoulder of a wearer and extend below the front and rear top edge mar.-

gins of the brassire and slip. One such strap is illustrated in 3 wherein the strap 49 is shown in extended form. The strap l carries a plurality of connecting means in longitudinally spaced relation near each end of the strap. Al.-

though such connecting means may assume varih ous forms, Fig. '3 shows such connectingmeans in the form of eyelets extending through the strap and longitudinally spaced :therealong. Such eyelets are indicated at 2.13, 1 4, I5and Iii at one end of the strap. It has been .found desirable to space these eyelets a distance of from one-half into asmuchasone andone-half (1%) in. from each other. The-eyelets-adjacent the extremeendof the strap,.such-as eyelets l2 and 13, are preferably closer together than the eyelets in the-remaining .portion of such group, such as, for example, the eyelets 1 4,15 and 15. The opposite end of the strapis provided with similar eyelets,--such as H, 18 and 19, The number of such connecting means arranged at each .end .of the strap H3 may vary..

A strapless brassiere is generally. indicated in Fig. 2, and it will .beseen that it includes the body encircling band 20, the front breast-receiving-cups 2i and 22 and arear closure or connection .23. This strapless brassir-e-is provided with attachment means adjacent the top edge margin in the front and rear portions of the brassiere. Such attachment means may comprise small books 24 and 25 attached to the upper edges or points of the breast-receiving cups 2| and 22. r

The band Zflmayalsobe provided with hooks 26 and 21 carried by pr attached to the upper edge of such band .in the rear of the garment.

When the brassire of Fig. 2 is placed upon the body of the wearer, two separate straps, one of which has been illustrated in Fig. 3, are employed, one of the straps traversing each of the shoulders, thehook-elements 2d, 25, 26-and 21 co-operatively engaging a desired connecting means carried by the straps. For example, :as shown in Fig. 1, the straps lfiand H are shown connected to the brassire by the co-operative engagement of the at.-

, taching means with the connecting-means of the straps. As a result, the wearer may adjust the position of the 'brassire upon her body with great facility without the necessity'of :using the troublesome buckles or other means of lengthening or shortening the straps 1-0 and -l I.. The portion of the straps which traverses the shoulders of the wearer issmooth and .free from imped-imenta.

The strapless slip 3ll is also provided with at 4 tachment means carried by its upper edge portions and such means may also comprise hooks as best shown in Fig. 4. The hooks, such as the hook 3 I, may be engaged with a suitable connecting means or eyelet of the strap [0, thereby causing the slip to adequately or desirably cover the brassire and be adjusted for length in accordance with the desires of the wearer the length of her outer garments, etc. The single strap I 0, therefore, supports and is removably connected to both the brassire and the slip.

.Since many slips are provided with an upper portion made of lace or other easily deformed or structurally weak material, the attachment means, such as the hook 3 I, may be connected to the iipperendlof a narrow ribbon, such upper end of the ribbOn as well as the hook 3|, being then stitched andattachedtothe upper marginal edge of the slip. The lower end of such ribbon 33 may then be connected to an intermediate or lower or n of th slina dt thflst p q tinuousl naterial 'trom which the main portion :of the slip is made. ."In this manner, the lacy upper part of thesl'ip is not subjected to thestrain, the

.. weight. of the garment being 'transmitted by the ribbon members to the attachment means.

It is contemplated that the separate strap elements, together with an associated connecting means, constitute an article of commerce and may be dispensed or sold as apart of a kit including a plurality of hook-like members or other attache mentmeans arranged for co-operation with the connecting means carried by. the straps. 'It is to be understood that instead of veyelets and hooks the connecting meansand attachment means I claim:

In undergarment construction: -a pair of unconnected shoulder s'trapseach of .a length adapted to traversethe shoulders of the wearer and extend below the ,front and rear top edge margins of a :brassire and slip each 91'' said straps REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,655,818 Mayer "Jan. 10, 1928 2,063,104 Kibbe Dec. '8, 1936 2,264,972 Greenberg Dec. .2, 1941 2,305,051 Witkower Dec. '15, 1942 2,423,046 7 Patterson as-.. .4 June 24, 1947 

